Donnie McClurkin to Host Super Bowl Gospel

By Kris Coombs, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, January 05, 2012

Grammy Award-winning artist and choir director Donnie McClurkin will host the 13th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, which will take place on February 3 at Butler University in Indianapolis, joins NFL players with the best in gospel music for an inspirational day of music and praise during Super Bowl weekend.

"I was brought in several years ago as a gospel artist, and then we formulated something called the NFL Gospel Choir, and from that point on it has taken off," McClurkin told Huffington Post’s Black Voices. "And that's become the highlight of the NFL Gospel Celebration."

This year McClurkin will lead the NFL Choir, which debuted at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration in 2008. Some notable professional players in the choir include Tim Brown (Oakland Raiders, retired), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Marcus Price (Dallas Cowboys, retired), David Tyree (Ravens) and others.

Telisa Yancy, Director of American Family Insurance Advertising, loves the event for its inspirational purpose.

"This event appeals to us for a number of different reasons," Yancy said, according to the Huffington Post’s Black Voices. "It's very family oriented, it's a good price point. I do believe that it inspires, and I like the fact that it not only entertains people with the artists who are coming to town to celebrate, but the NFL Players Choir adds a special element to it, because it allows the consumers who attend the event to see a different side of some of their greatest icons both past and present."

Since its debut in 1999, the charitable event has raised nearly $400,000. A portion of the funds is donated to national and local charities in the Super Bowl host city of that year.

"Some of the greatest, most renowned players you would usually see just one dimensionally, but during this gospel celebration you see their faith, you see their family, you see what really motivates them, more than just the sport. And that intrigued me," McClurkin tells The Huff Post’s Black Voices. "I loved the fact that they were participants in the Gospel Celebration, and some of the younger guys were really musical. And to be able to be a part of that and to fine tune it, it became an honor."

The event is also holding their "Jingle Dreams" contest for the second consecutive year. “Jingle Dreams” gives contestants a chance to win an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to this year's Super Bowl by sharing their dreams. The goal of the contest, which is sponsored by American Family Insurance, is to allow their audience to express their dreams while showcasing their talents through video entries on the competition's official site.

Viewers can also vote for their favorite video.

"This is the second year that American Family Insurance has been involved with the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration," Yancy said, according to the Huff Post’s black Voices reports. "We originally were attracted to this event because we thought it gave us a unique opportunity not just to sponsor one of the biggest sports and family weekends of the year, but also for our consumers to get involved."

Actor/Comedian Wayne Brady and Gospel singer CeCe Winans will join McClurkin in hosting the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. Hezekiah Walker, Natalie Grant, and Wess Morgan will also perform.